WEKEAST 2016

Whenever Wekfest comes to town, one can pretty much guarantee the quality of the builds is going to set to a high standard. All of those epic builds you’ve been following on Instagram are finally going to be right before your eyes at the Edison Convention Center in New Jersey. Some of us have been a part of this scene for years yet we never fail to participate in some way, shape or form. The draw of being surrounded by like-minded individuals is too hard to resist, even if it means barely sleeping. The competitors at Wekfest provide examples for those of us seeking inspiration and motivation to complete our own builds or simply something interesting to photograph. As the day goes on, it’s easy to forget Wekfest is a competition. The honor of being recognized by seasoned industry professionals would heal any scar left from the inevitable ups and downs during the build process.

We see cars that come out of hiding and others that are just in town for the fun. A celebration of what the East Coast has to offer to the national automotive community. After the early rise and setup, Wekfest East finally began. The familiar space and faces are a welcome environment for us all to escape the heat, chat cars and catch up with friends from all over the country. This year we would see a few new cars enter the competition, which is always a welcome change. The day always seems to go by in the blink of any eye even though most of us spend over 10 hours in the space. In no particular order or preference, below are captures of moments that caught our eye.

First-time competitor at Wekfest, Andy’s FD looking as good as ever. If I had an FD, it would look a lot like this.

NISMO R35 popping up out of nowhere. Amazing to see one out East. Dream car for many, myself included (maybe).

Super clean FC I’ve seen around a few times.

I wonder if Takumi would like this?

Clean EF’s are impossible to not take notice. This is a beautiful example.

I don’t even need to describe this. Makes me wish I was a bit more into Honda’s but owning one in NYC takes an incredible amount of commitment. I applaud those who do. I kept coming back to this line up as it was just too perfect a sight to not take a few looks throughout the day.

After all the years that it’s been around, this is still one of the top S2000’s around in my opinion.

It’s getting pretty rare to see clean AE86’s these days. This one being one of the more well-kept examples we’ve seen in a while.

Something about this that we thought was pretty cool. Different approach from the usual American car.

Then there’s this crazy thing. I thought it was some sort of mini Dekotora, which it kind of is but isn’t. Only in Japan would someone customize like this. Japanese Classics keeping things interesting. Check out the inside and that chandelier!

Saying Hi to our friends at Sofresh!

Still really into this LS built by our friends at FIZZ out in Chicago.

On the other side of the Lexus spectrum, the Emotion Crew GS that won best of show at Tuner Evolution.

Phil’s RE-Amemiya RX7 is quickly becoming an icon of RX-7 tuning in the US. Very happy about the well-deserved attention it’s getting after all the hard work put into this build.

Harry’s epic Ruck in the spotlight.

The owner did a great job on this STi. Clean yet aggressive. I’ve always had a thing for blue BRIDE seats. Matched with a silver car, they really compliment the main color.

Loving these TE’s. At this point, we were near Ravspec’s booth, which is always a crowd favorite. Let’s take a closer look at their offerings and car line up.

Making our way through the main hall, I never thought I would say it’s great to see a Non-RWB Porsche. I love them but nothing beats the OEM look.

Amazing how bug-eye WRX’s were all over the place not too long ago. Now generally rare to see, especially modified as good as this example.

From this point, a selection of favorites

Earlier this year, we all made the road-trip out to the Chicago stop of the Wekfest tour. Nawshin was awarded best car of the festival. This time around, he was once again selected for top honors. Congrats to Nawshin on another big win! His EVO is definitely worth a closer look if you ever come across it. Perfect example of what we consider a top build. Glad to see the judges at Wekfest agree.

With that, Wekfest East came to a close. We still have one last post with a few roll out captures to come!

Born, raised and living in NYC. Love cars, Japan, graphic design, bass music and chillin'. Digital production at The New York Times. PRIME, Bulletproof Automotive, Fatlace and east cost/global car life. Tokyo Extreme Racer and Bronx street racing was where it all began...